-By Warner Todd Huston
College textbooks are overpriced and something should be done. Why, Congress should even step in! That is the message that The New York Times wants us to understand and I can’t say it is, in and of itself, entirely the wrong message — save the whole bit about Congress stepping in, of course. But, as is typical of The New York Times, their story is only a small part of the whole story. In their exuberance to shake a finger at book manufacturers and in their hurry to blame capitalism the Times missed the bigger story.
The Times reports that “College students and their families are rightly outraged about the bankrupting costs of textbooks that have nearly tripled since the 1980s.” They also report that a bill is pending in Congress that would “require publishers to sell ‘unbundled’ versions of the books…” This, the Times feels, is the right move to solve the problem. Any first year economics student, however, knows there is far more to it than just slapping more regulations on book publishers.
Still, the Times thinks it has the prescription for what ails our students.
“The bill is a good first step. But colleges and universities will need to embrace new methods of textbook development and distribution if they want to rein in runaway costs. That means using digital textbooks, which can often be presented online free of charge or in hard copies for as little as one-fifth the cost of traditional books. The digital books can also be easily customized and updated.”
The Times gravely assures us that, “Right now, textbook publishers are calling the tune.” Naturally, The NYT acts as if these evil capitalist textbook companies are abusing their status as official providers of books merely to rip-off our students. But the Times doesn’t bother to fill the reader in on the full story. The greater story is far more disgusting than just that of a textbook company taking advantage of our students.
Continue reading “New York Times Attacking Textbook Makers, Veiled Attack on Capitalism”
At last YOU can have a say in Illinois! 
Looks like the daughter of the West Virginia’s Democratic governor has gotten herself into a bit of a scandal with an unearned, politically awarded college degree from West Virginia University. A panel to review allegations that the woman didn’t really earn that degree was convened and it was determined that she just does not qualify to get that degree that was awarded her by “High-ranking academic officers” at the school. Naturally, no report mentions that Gov. Joe Manchin is a member of the Democratic Party and that HE was the one that appointed the school’s officials.
The 
We have another incident of empty showboating by a half-sentient college kid who imagines herself to be making “art” and a “statement” by placing American flags on the floor in hopes that people would disrespect them enough to walk upon them. One 
Unfortunately, all we have is another disrespectful kid doing the same thing that a dozen other disrespectful kids have done at anti-American campuses across the country over the last 40 years or so. There isn’t a thing “new” or even unexpected about it at this point. This makes her “statement” empty and pointless. But Crane has been fooled by her anti-American professors into imagining she is sparking a “conversation” about patriotism and the flag.
We no longer educate in the United States of America. No, instead of making to educate our children we emot-ucate them. It’s all about our children’s tender egos, their vaunted self esteem, their itty bitty feewings. We don’t want them to know or understand so much as we want them to “feel good” about themselves. If they don’t know during what years the civil war was fought, that’s OK as long as they think they are “good people” anyway. If their math skills are substandard, who cares as long as they really like themselves? 
Bill Ayers killed two policemen and assisted in the bombing of government buildings as a member of the notorious Weather Underground in the 1960s and 70s. 
Of course it is a good thing that our children become politically aware. We do want our kids exposed to political issues and ideas. But, it is another thing entirely to take school funds and buss kids all about the city to attend anti-gun rallies to support Mayor Daley’s anti-Constitutional ideas. And that is precisely what happened on April 1st. 
Just once I’d like to see blame for one of our societal ills put in the proper place these days. Everyone has to finger point at everyone else while ignoring their own part in the mess. This incident, though, is just another bad example of blame put everywhere but where it belongs. In this case, the 
The story of an Illinois high school making a gay pornographic play required reading for seniors has been 
The 
The dean of journalism at Northwestern University seems to have gotten himself in a bit of a sticky wicket, as it were. Apparently, John Lavine, the dean of the Medill School of Journalism, has been indulging in the use of un-attributed and unnamed sources in his columns for the Medill alumni magazine and 16 NU journo instructors aren’t very happy about it. Not only are they not happy about it, but according to the 
Not that we need any more proof that our colleges and universities have degraded to near foolishness, but the 
I have a neighbor named George. He and his family have been great neighbors. We’ve exchanged gifts, attended parties together, helped each other out from time to time with one thing or another. Our kids have been friends. I like them all. They’re really great folks.